Kerry Wins Debate #2
John Kerry won the most important debate of his life tonight.
The President had lost most of his lead in the polls leading up to this debate, and I think that he displayed the disparity between his reality and those of us in middle-class America.
I think that one quote from Bush will be examined a bit thoroughly... Kerry made a remark that Bush would have qualifed as a small business owner because of $84 that Bush claimed on his tax returns. The money came from a timber-growing company. Bush was surprised and laughed... He acted like he had never heard of this tax claim, and joked to the audience "Want some wood?"
Well... www.Factcheck.Org has this:
President Bush himself would have qualified as a "small business owner" under the Republican definition, based on his 2001 federal income tax returns. He reported $84 of business income from his part ownership of a timber-growing enterprise. However, 99.99% of Bush's total income came from other sources that year. (Bush also qualified as a "small business owner" in 2000 based on $314 of "business income," but not in 2002 and 2003 when he reported his timber income as "royalties" on a different tax schedule.)
The final question posed to Bush was this:
Name 3 specific instances of when you were wrong about a decision, and what did you do to correct that decision?"
Bush gave a long spiel about being right about Iraq and Afghanistan, and claimed that she was really asking about those decisions.
Does he not realize that people MUST learn from their mistakes... That people must be able to admit their mistakes. Bush isn't a messiah, no matter what he thinks...
John Kerry was presidential, concise, and substantive. Bush was terse, anxious, and emotional.
The President's responses were driven only by ideology, and that's not going to be enough for the undecided voters. The format for the next debate favors Kerry, and a victor would be enough to swing a lot of undecided people. No undecided is going to vote for the loser of all three debates.
Of course, the spin could tilt toward Bush tomorrow... We'll have to see.
The President had lost most of his lead in the polls leading up to this debate, and I think that he displayed the disparity between his reality and those of us in middle-class America.
I think that one quote from Bush will be examined a bit thoroughly... Kerry made a remark that Bush would have qualifed as a small business owner because of $84 that Bush claimed on his tax returns. The money came from a timber-growing company. Bush was surprised and laughed... He acted like he had never heard of this tax claim, and joked to the audience "Want some wood?"
Well... www.Factcheck.Org has this:
President Bush himself would have qualified as a "small business owner" under the Republican definition, based on his 2001 federal income tax returns. He reported $84 of business income from his part ownership of a timber-growing enterprise. However, 99.99% of Bush's total income came from other sources that year. (Bush also qualified as a "small business owner" in 2000 based on $314 of "business income," but not in 2002 and 2003 when he reported his timber income as "royalties" on a different tax schedule.)
The final question posed to Bush was this:
Name 3 specific instances of when you were wrong about a decision, and what did you do to correct that decision?"
Bush gave a long spiel about being right about Iraq and Afghanistan, and claimed that she was really asking about those decisions.
Does he not realize that people MUST learn from their mistakes... That people must be able to admit their mistakes. Bush isn't a messiah, no matter what he thinks...
John Kerry was presidential, concise, and substantive. Bush was terse, anxious, and emotional.
The President's responses were driven only by ideology, and that's not going to be enough for the undecided voters. The format for the next debate favors Kerry, and a victor would be enough to swing a lot of undecided people. No undecided is going to vote for the loser of all three debates.
Of course, the spin could tilt toward Bush tomorrow... We'll have to see.
posted by Hot_Tuna at 9:05:00 PM
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